


Ebony

by SongOfMarbule



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Episode Prompto Spoilers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 08:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11375985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SongOfMarbule/pseuds/SongOfMarbule
Summary: In a moment of weakness, Prompto finds comfort and strength in something he least suspects. Against the warm side of an Ebony vending machine, deep in the heart of the facility, Prompto reflects on his life, his friends... and most of all, Ignis.





	Ebony

Prompto collapsed against the side of the vending machine, exhausted, shoulder bloody, practically gasping for air as he tried to recover from the journey he had taken to get there. He sunk slowly until he was sitting on the floor beside the only non-threatening presence in this place: his new best friend, Ebony.  _ Noctis doesn’t need me anymore, after all,  _ he thought bitterly.

He pursed his lips, pressing all his weight to the machine against his back. His hand clamped his shoulder. It burned. It stung. He’d used the last of his curatives getting here.

He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up.

His eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden. The urge to close them was overwhelming. He didn’t bother fighting it; after all, there was no point. He gave in, relief washing over him instantly as he felt his entire body sink, the tension leaving his muscles. He needed this. He needed to conserve what remained of his strength. He was just so goddamn  _ tired _ . Just a few minutes, though, before he had to get up and keep going. He couldn’t risk staying in one place for too long. 

Hum.

The room was all but silent, not counting the rise and falls of his breath.

Hum.

And one other thing.

The vending machine behind him hummed pleasantly. Steadily. He felt a little bit of heat radiate off of it. Despite all the running around he’d done and the heavier outfit hugging his body, he was still so  _ cold _ . He turned his face slightly, pressing his cheek against the warm siding. It was oddly soothing in this place of death. It reminded him of a gentle sensation he hadn’t felt in what seemed like an eternity, now.

Ebony.

“I might have asked before, but is Ebony really all that good?” Noctis’ voice rang in his mind.

“I might have answered before, but yes, it is,” came the smooth, airy reply.

Ebony. 

He’d never really cared for coffee as a whole before, and by association he’d never bothered trying the Ebony brand. Especially the kind that came in a can. Honestly, it sort of weirded him out. But someone he knew swore by it. Couldn’t start his morning without a hot, freshly brewed cup. Couldn’t stand driving for hours and hours in the Regalia without a cold supply of the canned version at his disposal. It was one of the few things that provided him with comfort after he’d lost his eyesight.

Ebony, the one thing in the world that Ignis had told him he’d loved almost as much as he loved him.

Of course, that was a joke. “Nothing could ever compare to you, darling. Not even Ebony. Though, some days I have to admit that there  _ is _ a bit of competition,” the man had chuckled once.

Ignis.

What he wouldn’t give to see his face right now. What he wouldn’t give for the warmth on his cheek to be the warmth of Ignis’ palm, instead.

Would Ignis still love him? After all this? Would he still love him, if he found out who he really is? Or rather,  _ what _ he actually is?

It scared him more than the road ahead. What else would he find in this place? Would he even make it out of here alive? And if he  _ did _ make it out… would they still want him? Would  _ he _ still want him?

He couldn’t do it. He was going to die here.

Prompto shuddered as he pressed his hand into his wound again, more firmly.

_ Ignis. _

Prompto felt the tears flow freely.

He missed him.

“Chin up, Prompto. Whatever will be, will be.  _ Que sera sera _ , as they say,” the man had told him once. “And for the record, I happen to believe, no, I  _ know _ , that you are capable of far more than you think you are.”

Was he, though?

“You are strong. You are among the strongest people I know, Prompto. Your most formidable foe is yourself. Once you push through that barrier of self doubt that encases you like a shell, you will surprise yourself in more ways than you thought possible.”

Could he really do this?

Ignis believed in him.

Ignis loved him.

It had been a dreary day, devoid of joy in every sense of the word not long before the train incident.  Ignis and Prompto had needed the quiet and crept off to their own hotel room to enjoy the solitude. “Once all this is said and done... I would love nothing more than to wake up every single day with you in my arms,” Ignis had said softly. His hand had slid through Prompto’s hair lovingly, the blond’s head resting in his lap, Ignis’ warmth embracing him like a blanket.   


“The morning sun striping our bed through the shutters, the incessant chirping of birds enjoying the new daylight outside of our bedroom window.” His hand had sought out Prompto’s, and when he’d found it, he’d brought it up to his lips so he could delicately kiss it.  Ignis, comforting him, when it was Ignis who needed that comfort far more than he did. “A cup of Ebony at the bedside,” he’d added, his voice teasing a hint of playfulness.

Gods, he wanted that. He wanted that more than anything else in the world.

He wanted that so badly.

But he had to get out of here.

Hum.

The machine hummed him a fine tune. Almost like it was trying to tell him something.

“Is Ebony really all that good?” came Noct’s voice, again.

Maybe it was.

Prompto grunted as he attempted getting back on his feet, his boots pressing into the ground so hard he thought his feet might break. Somehow, he succeeded in carrying his body’s weight again. He felt himself tilt on the shakier side, but he managed. He was up. 

He walked over to the front of the machine and stared at the words decorating the front. “‘Coffee whenever, wherever’,” Prompto read the slogan printed on the machine aloud. “‘Big flavour in a small package’, huh.”  His eyes darted across the different flavour selection buttons. He didn’t know what any of this meant. What the hell was a ‘roaster’? Coffee was complicated.

Prompto gave the machine a kick. And another. One more, for good measure, but it didn’t work. Nothing was coming out. It wasn’t like in the movies, where after a loud BANG a flood of cans would come tumbling out like logs on a rushing river. All it gave him was a sore foot.

With a dejected sigh, Prompto was ready to give up when he slid his hand into his pants pocket. Just in case.

His fingers traced along the outline of a single gil.

He couldn’t believe it.

He scrambled to fish it out, dropping it into the coin slot with a pound of his fist on a random button. He didn’t care what flavour it was. As long as it was Ebony.

Ebony.

He clasped the can in his gloved hands, holding it close as he pressed his forehead to chilled aluminum. It was cold. The last thing he needed was something cold in this chilled facility, but right now he didn’t care.

He downed the can’s contents.

“Big flavour in a small package.” Well, the slogan wasn’t wrong. It was also big on caffeine. Like, big time.

It tasted awful.

Ignis loved it.

He tossed the empty can aside, the impact clink echoing off the walls as it hit the floor.

He had to go now, but he hesitated. He stood there for a moment, as if he were conjuring up a spell.  He breathed in, then out, steady, deep, slow breaths, as if willing his lost courage to appear again after jumping ship long ago.

_ I can do this _ , he thought to himself.

_ Ignis, I want you to be proud of me. _

_ I don’t want you to ever regret putting your faith in me. I want to prove to you that you were right about me. _

_ I  _ **_will_ ** _ see you again. _

_ This isn’t the end. _

_ I have a life to live. _

_ With you. _

Adjusting the gun on his back, Prompto stepped toward the door and reached for the knob.

_ Thank you. _

**Author's Note:**

> The second I discovered that the rest areas were Ebony vending machines during Episode Prompto, this idea festered in my mind until I had no choice but to let it out.
> 
> Special thanks to [Peach_Pit](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Peach_Pit/pseuds/Peach_Pit) for editing and being my enabler (as always) and [Besin](http://besin-is-a-moogle.tumblr.com) for final beta and summary help. This one's for you two. <3
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://saturnvalleycoffee.tumblr.com). I've also got a [FFXV sideblog](http://caseofthestolenspecs.tumblr.com). Also check out my other fic [Shotgun](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10815795).


End file.
